ITANAGAR, Sep 17: A 14-member team from DBT-APSCS&T Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Bioresources and Sustainable Development (BRSD), Kimin comprising prospective orchid growers, farmers and entrepreneurs scientists and technical personnel participated in the just concluded six-day Hands-on-training program on ‘Advanced Scientific Methods of Vegetative Propagation and Tissue Culture for Mass Multiplication and Cultivation of Orchids’ at ICAR-National Research Centre for Orchids (NRCO), Pakyong, Sikkim.
The programme was held from September 11 to 16.
The training programme sponsored by DBT-APSCS&T CoE for Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Kimin, which is third in the series has been conducted by NRCO, Pakyong as part of the collaboration established between the two institutions towards conservation, development of orchids and its entrepreneurial avenues in Arunachal Pradesh.
Dr Debajit Mahanta, Project Director of DBT-APSCS&T CoE for BRSD, Kimin, paid a visit to the ICAR-NRCO, Sikkim. During his visit, a meeting was convened with the Director of ICAR-NRCO, Sikkim, alongside a team of scientists to explore potential collaborations with the institute aimed at advancing orchid-based entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh.
The valedictory session attended by Dr Sankar Prasad Das, Director, ICAR-NRCO and Dr Mahanta, began with Dr S S Biswas, Scientist, ICAR-NRCO, Sikkim briefing the scopes of the concluded training program.
Dr Mahanta, in his address, expressed gratitude to Director NRCO for the scientific collaboration and technical support provided by NRCO, Pakyong. He also thanked NRCO, Pakyong for agreeing furtherance of this established collaboration towards exploration, conservation, R&D activities and encouraging orchid based entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh.
Dr Das, in his address, expressed that his institute shall take up future collaborations with DBT-APSCS&T CoE for BRSD, Kimin to further develop orchid-based entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh, which will be extremely beneficial and provide sustainable growth to the small scale farmers, orchid growers as Arunachal Pradesh is blessed with favourable climate for Orchid growing and is famously known as ‘Orchid Paradise of India’.
Later, Director, ICAR-NRCO, Sikkim along with Project Director of DBT-APSCS&T CoE for BRSD, Kimin presented participation certificates to the trainees.
Dr Ashok Kumar, Principal Scientist, ICAR-NRCO, also spoke on the occasion.